


Etiquette

by Pathseeker



Category: Code:Realize ～創世の姫君～ | Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth (Visual Novel)
Genre: Cardia lacking common sense? Yes, F/M, I feel a bit bad for Lupin and the boys sometimes, No spoilers for any of the boys' routes, Some spoilers for the common route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26250940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pathseeker/pseuds/Pathseeker
Summary: Sometimes Lupin forgot that Cardia lacked the same education most people her age would receive. And sometimes that can put him in a very tight spot.
Relationships: Cardia Beckford/Arsène Lupin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	Etiquette

Cardia had missed out on a lot of teachings that would’ve been considered common for girls her age. Most of the time, it was little things Lupin and the others ignored, either because they didn’t care or because they didn’t do it themselves. Things like elbows on the table or not putting a napkin in her lap during mealtimes, or when she asked a question that a lady normally would not ask, putting the others in tight spots.

Lupin actually found her frankness and lack of sophistication and grace refreshing at times. It was always a reminder that she wasn’t as doll-like as her appearance would suggest. She had her moments where she was awkward and made mistakes, just like everybody else. To him, it was even more proof that she was human.

Of course, there were times where it caused more harm than good, especially if he was on the receiving end. He’d seen firsthand how unaware of the world she could be, lacking basic understanding in social norms when she’d stripped in the middle of the road-

 _Yeah, no, we’re not remembering that._ How had that even popped up in his mind? Especially now, as Lupin shrugged out of his attire, tossing the hat and mask onto a sitting chair in the library he’d holed himself away in and got to work on the buttons of his shirt. He wasn’t Impey, who… probably would encourage that kind of thing if he was left to his own devices. Yeah, that thought just cemented the idea that Impey should _never_ be allowed to be alone with Cardia for extended periods of time. He’d just pass on his stupidity to her.  
  
More importantly, he was frustrated, with the train robbery seeming to set them back more steps than it moved them forward. Really, it felt like a massive failure on his end. The information leaked being wrong, Finis escaping, _that goddamn nosy good-for-nothing detective_ -

The sound of the door opening attracted his attention and broke his train of thought as he turned, fully expecting to tell one of the others of his crew to come back later, but came face to face with a certain brunette girl, holding a few books in her arms.

“Cardia? What are you doing here?” _Can’t you see I’m changing?_ The unspoken message was imbued in his words, but of course, it seemed to bounce right off the girl. “I was returning some of the books I borrowed on London’s railways.” She said as she took one look at him and moved towards the desk. _Okay, that’s kind of a blow on my pride here. At least act a bit embarrassed or conscious of the situation._ Speaking of conscious of the situation, _he_ very much was, moving to turn around so his still-clothed back faced her, as he struggled with the buttons and getting them into the wrong holes, looking like a downright mess. Was he flustered? No, it couldn’t be. It probably was just because he was tired he couldn’t handle this with the gentlemanly grace he usually did. 

Yeah, that was it.

“Can you come back later?”  
  
“Why, is something wrong?”  
  
“No- actually, _yes_. This is improper.”

“Why is it improper?” Cardia tilted her head, the movement not unlike Sisi when he was genuinely confused. Lupin opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. There were only a handful of times in his life he could say he was at a loss for words, and right here, half naked and trying to shoo away a girl he definitely felt a bit self-conscious about, was one of those times.

He tried his best not to hit his head against the side of the bookshelf in frustration. Lupin would say that kind of behavior would put her in danger, but considering her poison, that at least gave him one less worry, but also one less safe reason to give her.

 _God, strike me down here instead of having me explain, please._  
  
“Wasn’t this part of Saint-Germain’s lessons on etiquette, Cardia? Go ask him.” A statement he likely would come to regret later, but the quickest and most strategic retreat he could think of. Yes, dump the task of explaining onto the count. He was unflappable in most life-or-death scenarios, he should be fine here.

The brunette seemed confused, but nodded and left.

* * *

“Saint-Germain.” Lupin would scratch his head, seeming to take a moment to collect himself before continuing. “Please, for the love of God, continue Cardia’s lessons in etiquette. I can’t handle the stress sometimes.” 

The faint smile on Saint-Germains face seemed to widen a bit. “Oh, was her walking in on you not pleasant?” 

“It’s not-“ Lupin cut himself off, thankfully before he could say anything that could cause cracks in that gentleman persona of his. “You- you saw?”  
  
“No, but Cardia explained the encounter in great detail, trying to figure out where she went wrong, as you requested of her.” The smile on Saint-Germain’s face seemed somewhat chilly. “I’d say the fact you couldn’t find a room with a lock on it to change was the bigger issue here, though. Maybe your bed should just be moved into the library, and I can install a lock. Then we can just lock you in there until we need the skills of a gentleman thief.” The threat was subtle behind seemingly-kind words, but Lupin felt a chill run down his spine nonetheless as he instinctively straightened a little bit, like a child being scolded by his father. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Lupin mumbled, somehow getting the feeling that if it was the count’s work, getting out of a locked room would be a lot trickier.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly love the dynamic between the crew and Cardia in the common route, but always felt like that with how Cardia was raised they definitely have been put in tight spots before.


End file.
